Infinite DC - Birds of Prey: Dark
by J.A.Phillips
Summary: AU. Only four women can protect Platinum Flats from mobsters, supervillains, secret organizations, and paranormal/supernatural threats. They are Black Canary, Huntress, Batwoman, and Raven: the Birds of Prey!
1. Birds of a Feather Part 1

**_DISCLAIMER:_ Black Canary was created by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino. Huntress (Helena Bertinelli) was created by Joey Cavalieri and Joe Staton. ****Batwoman (Katherine 'Kate' Kane) was created by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid, and Ken Lashley. ****Raven was created by Marv Wolfman and ****George Pérez**. I do not own any of the main characters involved in this story. **This story exists in my own fan-made continuity and should not be considered to be part of any already defined by the comics, television series, or movies, though it takes cues from other established continuities created for Birds of Prey, Justice League Dark, and Teen Titans.**

Also, I should probably warn you all now that I was listening to a lot of the Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and Advent Children OSTs while writing the action scenes. lol

* * *

For the average person, it's the little things in life you treasure the most. A warm summer's day with a cool breeze in your hair. Seeing the smiles on everyone's faces as you pass them by. Maybe even some accompaniment from the opposite gender. For the average person, this is considered a good day to be alive.

Even Dinah Laurel Lance, also known as the ass-kicking super-heroine, the 'Black Canary', enjoyed all these things. Mind you, the cool breeze running through her long, blonde hair was because she was speeding on her motorcycle down the streets of Platinum Flats. Also, her 'male accompaniment' were a gang of bank robbers in a van that she was chasing, who were shooting at her, just barely missing the sleeves of her dark blue jacket. And as far as the smiles on the faces of people she passed by...Well, she was hoping she'd create more, once she was done beating the snot out of the crooks.

Finally deciding enough was enough after a few minutes, but feeling it might be best to hold back on her BIG play, Dinah brought her feet up to the seat of her bike and flipped off it hard. As the criminals in the van took aim on her, Black Canary reached into her jacket and retrieved a sansetsukon, a three-section-staff, and spun it hard and fast while still in mid-air, deflecting the bullets. She then landed on the roof of the van, giving the middle section of her sansetsukon a twist to release small sickle blades from the ends of the other two. Stabbing them into the roof of the van, she pulled back hard on the middle section, tearing a hole in the roof just over the driver's seat.

"CRAZY BITCH!" the driver yelled while the mobster in the passenger seat tried to shoot her with his pistol, failing miserably.

"Your mother really should've taught you to watch your mouth!" Black Canary shouted back before making a precision swing with her sansetsukon, hooking onto the steering wheel and hauling it clean off.

Seeing as how the driver no longer had control of the vehicle, Dinah decided now would be a good time to bail. Leaping off the van, she caught hold of a light post with the sickles of her sansetsukon, spinning down it to the sidewalk. Sure enough, not even ten seconds later, the van crashed into a fire hydrant and slammed into the side of a building. Readying her weapon in case the robbers still wanted a fight, she relaxed as she saw them stumble out and proceed to surrender as they heard sirens in the distance.

With a grin, Black Canary retracted the blades on her sansetsukon and returned it to its place in her jacket. She then jogged off, ignoring the cat calls and wolf-whistles directed at her. She was used to them, wearing the costume her mother made famous: The black bustier, loose jacket, fishnet stockings, and pirate boots. However, right now, she had to find her motorcycle, hoping it wasn't in too bad a shape when she found it.

Eventually, after a minute or two of searching, Dinah found that it had come to a halt in the softest place possible: A heap of garbage in an alley. She sighed, realising this meant she'd have to wash it when she got home, but that was still better than having to call a mechanic. Hauling it out of the trash and swinging her leg over it, she revved it back to life and peeled out into the streets, weaving between cars as she made her way towards her pad.

_Well, that went a bit better than my usual bank robbery bust,_ Dinah admitted. _Still, I need to come up with a better way of shutting down the vehicle than ripping out the steering wheel or crushing the thing with a Canary Cry. Maybe some kinda device that'll shut down the-_

Black Canary's thought-process was cut off as a giant boom in the skies caught her attention. Looking to the sky ahead, she saw what looked to be a swirling red and violet vortex open up in the sky, like some other-worldly portal. After a few seconds, it closed, but it was replaced with an equally frightening image: A young woman falling from where it was, showing no signs of stopping.

Thinking quickly, Dinah shot her motorcycle forward, looking for anything she could use as a ramp to propel herself through the sky. Finally, she saw it: A car hauler parked on the side of the street. Going as fast as she could push the bike to go, she drove up and onto the car hauler, launching herself like a rocket into the air. Unfortunately, she saw the angle she was sailing at, the distance she was away from the girl, and how fast she was falling, and could just tell she wasn't going to make it, meaning she had one choice left.

_Please, please, PLEASE don't let me break anything this time,_ Dinah prayed as she took a deep breath and aimed her head straight down, letting loose a Canary Cry that rocketed herself harder and faster. Sure enough, she found herself making a ton of distance, and at just the right moment, she reached her hands out and caught the girl that fell from the sky. Unfortunately, now this meant trying to find somewhere to land. However, luck struck again as she saw what they were coming in on.

"...Least now I won't have to wash it!" Dinah cried.

With a giant sploosh, Black Canary found herself, the girl, and her motorcycle landing in a public pool. Grabbing the girl, she hauled her back to the surface and to the pavement around the pool. Immediately checking her pulse, she saw it seemed oddly normal, as was her breathing, despite seemingly being unconscious. It was only now that Dinah began to register the girl's appearance. She wore a blue hooded cloak over a darker blue bodysuit, along with lighter boots and gloves. A belt of red jewels wrapped around her waist, a similar jewel found at the neck of her cloak. A logo resembling a raven adorned the chest of her bodysuit. Pulling her hood back, Dinah noted the girl looked to be in her late-teens, with shoulder-length violet-blue hair, slightly pale skin, and a red gemstone on an Anja chakra on her forehead.

"Hey, girl, wake up!" Dinah exclaimed, giving her a gentle shake as a crowd started to form.

After a few seconds, the young woman's eyes opened, revealing violet-blue irises to match her hair. "...Where...?"

"It's okay," Black Canary assured her. "You're in Platinum Flats."

The girl blinked, looking at Dinah and the other people closing in on them. "...Is this...Earth?"

"Of course it is," Dinah replied. "...Who are you?"

"...My name is Rachel," the girl answered. "Rachel Roth. But everyone calls me-"

"**RAVEN!**"

Everyone present turned to face the source of the voice: Another vortex, only this one was hovering just over the ground, a figure stepping through it. It was a young African-American man, wearing a dark brown hoodie. Despite this covering most of his face, Dinah could clearly pick out not one, but TWO pairs of glowing red eyes. He stared at the young woman angrily.

"**You shouldn't have run, Raven!**" he barked. "**Father TOLD YOU to _STAY PUT_!**"

Rachel, or Raven as the boy was calling her, sat up, looking at him defiantly. "...You can tell our father to leave me alone, Jared. I will NOT aid him in taking over the realms, and no one can make me. I'd rather die!"

Dinah just looked back and forth between the two, trying to piece together just what in the hell was going on. Just as she thought maybe these two were simply crazy, she watched as the boy, Jared, clenched his fists and teeth hard, his body seeming to expand slightly as his hoodie began to rip against the strain. It was at that point that Black Canary put it all together and realised it: These two weren't human.

"**If you'd rather die, _I CAN MAKE THAT HAPPEN!_**" Jared shouted, tossing his hoodie off to reveal dark brown cornrows on his head and a white tank-top on his torso. However, this too started to tear a little as he suddenly grew into a grotesque, muscle-bound giant, at least eight feet tall. He let out a roar, and at this point, the civilians in the area decided it might be a good idea to flee for their lives. He charged at Raven with fists big enough to punch her head clean off, but at the last moment, Black Canary grabbed him by the arm, using his own momentum to toss him into the pool.

"Cool off, ugly!" Canary yelled, helping Raven to her feet. "...C'mon, we gotta get you outta here."

"You shouldn't be helping me..." Rachel muttered.

"Hey, if you'd rather stick around with hi-" Dinah started to retort before her motorcycle was suddenly flung out from the bottom of the pool and crashed a few feet away from them.

"...Not so much," Raven decided.

"_**GRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGHHH!**_" Jared roared at the top of his lungs, the water in the pool being forced up into the sky.

The two women ran from the public pool, abandoning Black Canary's motorcycle for now, as she was just as confident she could outrun the giant as she was her bike wouldn't be driving anywhere at the moment. However, her hopes were dashed when Jared suddenly leaped out of the now empty pool and landed ahead of them, creating a small crater in the ground. He growled at the two, his red eyes staring at Dinah with murderous rage.

"Hot damn!" Dinah swore. "He can jump pretty far for a big guy!"

"Not quite as impressive as..." Raven muttered, clutching onto Black Canary's hand.

Canary looked back to her. "...As impressive as whaAAAA**AAAAHH**!"

Dinah was cut off as she was quickly pulled up into the sky, Raven hauling her with her as she soared through the air. Black Canary looked back down at Jared, who roared at them, giving chase on the ground.

"You can fly?!" Dinah demanded. "Why the hell didn't you do that when you were falling?!"

"It's telekinesis," Raven replied. "And I can't do it if I can't focus. Coming through the portal almost knocked me out, made it impossible to concentrate...kinda like talking to you right now is hindering it a little."

"I'm sorry, but I just...I have so many questions, like what are you, anyway?" Black Canary went on.

"A demon," Rachel answered. "...Well, half-demon, anyway. My mother was human."

Dinah gulped, looking back down at Jared, who was still chasing them. "...And him?"

"His was, too," Raven explained. "Our father sired many children, but there were seven of us that possessed massive amounts of his power, and is this REALLY the best time for you to be asking for exposition?"

"That's actually a good point, and go up, go up, GO UP!" Canary suddenly yelled.

Raven tried to increase her speed and altitude, but too late, as Jared had leaped off a rooftop to reach them in the sky. He threw a fist forward, but Black Canary let loose a Canary Cry. The impact of his massive fist on her attack created a shock-wave that sent them all tumbling down, with no soft spot to land for Dinah and Rachel...until an arrow was shot out between two buildings that hit the ground, releasing a giant inflatable mattress of sorts that was sealed in the arrow. The two hit the mattress safely, bouncing across it until they rolled onto the pavement.

"...So, getting into trouble without me?" a female voice asked from a nearby alley.

Black Canary rolled her eyes, turning to face the woman. She wore a black and purple bodysuit, with matching boots, gloves, and cape, and a black mask. She carried a simple wooden crossbow, and wore a belt with a quiver attached and different gadgets to affix to the tips of her arrows. A small cross hung from a silver chain around her neck. She smirked at Dinah, her on-again, off-again partner/rival.

"Lucky I was in the neighbourhood, right?" the woman asked as Dinah dusted herself off.

"Nice timing, Huntress," Canary admitted. "Though, a few minutes ago would've been great, too."

* * *

**_AUTHOR'S NOTES:_** So, let's get some details outta the way. First off, you'll notice I gave Dinah a new toy. ^_^ I was watching a review of All-Star Batman and Robin a while back on Atop The Fourth Wall, and she was using a sansetsukon to fight some criminals. I just remember thinking "You know what? The rest of this comic is frigging stupid, but THAT is pretty awesome." So I decided I'd let her have it here, but then I was like "No, no, I can't JUST give her an ordinary sansetsukon, it's gotta have something unique to it." So, I modified it so that it was a sansetsukon that turned into a kusarigama, or chain-sickle, knowing there was tons I could get out of a weapon like that.

With Raven, I decided to go with a blend of her appearances in her comic book mini-series and in the Teen Titans animated series. Although not nearly as pale as she appeared in the cartoon, especially since I'm planning to have the palest member of the team be the fourth member, who will be joining next chapter. Also, her personality and powers are very much a blending of the cartoon and comics, so expect to see more of that in the future. Finally, I decided to give her the name Rachel Roth right away, as opposed to choosing it as an alias later.

Huntress' costume is her Year One attire, albeit with some slight alterations to her belt, adding a quiver to it. Also, decided to give her trick arrows, à la Green Arrow, though I promise they will get less goofy than the ol' giant inflatable mattress trick. Once again, I would just like to make it clear that this is Helena Bertinelli, not Helena Wayne, though I would just like to note that my main exposure to the character is from Justice League Unlimited, so her personality and how she gets along with Black Canary will be directly inspired by that.

As for Jared, I get that his powers in the comics were to influence the sin of wrath in other people, and he will be doing that in other chapters, but he'll also be very susceptible to wrath himself. The same will occur with his brothers as they appear in this story. Also, while he'll have his other abilities too, I just liked the idea of making him a berserker, who can jump super high and can shove pool-fuls of water into the air. Matches his position as the wrath pretty well.

Anyway, that's it for this chapter. Check in next time as Black Canary, Raven, and Huntress try to escape from Jared, and the fourth member of the team makes herself present. Ja né!


	2. Birds of a Feather Part 2

**_DISCLAIMER:_**** Black Canary was created by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino. Huntress (Helena Bertinelli) was created by Joey Cavalieri and Joe Staton. Batwoman (Katherine 'Kate' Kane) was created by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid, and Ken Lashley. Raven was created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez. I do not own any of the main characters involved in this story. This story exists in my own fan-made continuity and should not be considered to be part of any already defined by the comics, television series, or movies, though it takes cues from other established continuities created for Birds of Prey, Justice League Dark, and Teen Titans.**

* * *

"Nice timing, Huntress," Canary admitted. "Though, a few minutes ago would've been great, too."

"Y'know me, I like to pick my spots," Huntress replied. "And it was kinda funny watching you run from tall, dark, and so-ugly-a-mother-couldn't-love-him."

Dinah shrugged. "Oh, well I guess I'll just sit back and enjoy this, then."

Before Huntress could inquire about this, her thoughts were interrupted by a loud roar. Spinning to face the source, she found Jared, the giant monster of a man, throwing the garbage dumpster he'd crashed into across the street. Huntress' eyes narrowed as a hand went to her belt, grabbing an arrow and attaching a device to the end. As the hulking brute charged her, she quickly back-flipped and fired straight down, the arrow hitting the ground and releasing a net directly upwards, ensnaring Jared. The purple and black clad heroine landed back on the concrete gracefully, prepping her crossbow again with what she thought was plenty of time...until the net was torn apart when Jared aimed his head straight up and fired what looked like energy beams from his upper set of eyes.

"Crap, why didn't you tell me he had lasers?!" Huntress yelled back at Black Canary as she barely managed to dodge a massive punch.

"I didn't know he had heat vision!" Dinah cried back.

"It isn't heat vision," Raven interjected. "They're eldritch energy bursts, and he tends to only use them when he's severely agitated."

"Oh goody, here I was thinking he might be another Superman, but thankfully, he's just a FREAKING DEMON!" Huntress screamed as she leaped over a garbage dumpster hurled her way, grabbing hold of a fire escape.

Deciding she'd had enough of watching Huntress take on Jared one-on-one, Black Canary took a deep breath before letting loose a Canary Cry powerful enough to tear up the concrete ground. The force of the screech, combined with the hunks of stone being slammed into him, was strong enough to send Jared crashing through the side of a building. Huntress flipped off the fire escape, landing next to Dinah.

"...Yeah, okay, we'll count this one as both of ours," Huntress conceded.

"He's not down yet," Dinah corrected, pulling out her sansetsukon as she heard Jared start to move under the stone debris. "We need to move this fight to somewhere a little more in our favour."

Huntress looked around. Spotting a manhole cover, she grinned, knowing she could take advantage of the darkness of the sewers. Walking over to it, she grabbed a small stick of dynamite from her belt, looking to jam it into the cover, but was stopped as she felt Rachel's hand on her shoulder.

"Allow me..." Raven advised, her eyes glowing white. "..._Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!_"

Suddenly, the manhole cover was enveloped in black energy and was yanked out, exposing the way down into the sewer system of Platinum Flats. Huntress blinked in surprise, watching as Raven floated the cover in mid-air.

"...Okay, THAT was pretty awesome," Huntress admitted.

Raven didn't answer, instead turning to face Jared as he tossed Black Canary into a wall and aimed an eye blast at her. Thinking quickly, Rachel used her telekinesis to fling the manhole cover at her half-brother's face, which didn't do much to hurt him, but managed to force his head in a different direction, scorching the wall instead of Black Canary.

"C'mon!" Rachel cried to Dinah, levitating herself and floating down into the manhole.

Black Canary limped her after as Huntress armed her crossbow. "Oh, dammit, why a sewer? Why ALWAYS a sewer?!"

"Deal, blondie," Huntress shot back as Dinah slid down the ladder leading into the sewers. The violet archer took aim at Jared as he rushed her. Lifting a foot over the manhole, she fired her arrow, which erupted into a thick goo all over the half-demon's eyes as she let herself drop straight down into the sewers, landing just behind Dinah at the bottom as she was returning her sansetsukon to its place in her jacket.

"C'mon, we need to lure him deeper in, where it's darkest," Huntress told the others, the three women jogging through the horrid smelling sewers of Platinum Flats as they heard Jared's roar from above.

After a minute of jogging, the three had found a dark enough section of the sewers to stage their fight with Jared. Just in time, too, as a loud crash and roar echoing off the walls indicated that Raven's half-brother was closing in on them.

"**COME OUT, SISTER!**" Jared bellowed. "**WHERE ARE YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS HIDING?!**"

"He thinks we're friends?" Huntress whispered from her hiding place. "Wonderful..."

Choosing her position over the entrance to their section in the sewers, Black Canary tightened her gloves as Jared approached from below. The second he passed underneath her, she dropped down and planted a pair of elbows into his shoulder-blades, bringing him down to a knee. She then let loose a Canary Cry that sent him tumbling across the stone floor, right into more nets placed by Huntress. Once he was ensnared in them, Raven used her telekinesis to tighten them further and bury him in rocks.

"...You think that's it?" Huntress asked after a few moments, just before energy beams fired straight up through the rubble.

"Hel, never ask that!" Dinah yelled, backing back into the shadows as Jared sprung free.

"Calm down, he can't see us in the dark," Raven advised.

Jared growled lowly before pointing his head straight up and launching a massive energy burst out of his upper eyes, cutting straight up through the street above. Sunlight peered down through the hole, illuminating off the sewer water and exposing the three women to Jared. He chuckled lowly as he glanced to each of them.

Huntress sighed, her shoulders dropping. "...For the record, I did NOT jinx THAT one."

Jared roared, throwing a fist at Huntress. Raven waved a hand, creating a black energy shield in front of her, but Jared shattered it, the shock of which sent the purple and black clad heroine crashing into a wall. Jared then fired a blast at the roof over her, caving it in on top of her.

"HELENA!" Black Canary cried in horror, seeing her on and off partner/rival seemingly buried under stone.

"**I'm sorry, was she a friend of yours?**" Jared asked, grinning at Dinah as she felt anger cloud over all other emotions. "**...Is that murderous rage I feel?**"

"...You son of a _**BITCH!**_" Dinah screamed, leaping forward and connecting hard with a right hook to the cheek of Jared, feeling the bones in her fist almost shatter. This didn't stop her, though, as she followed this up by grabbing hold of his bald head and driving both knees into his face. She grinned in triumph as she saw a trickle of blood flow from his nose, but this was short-lived as he grabbed hold of her ankles and flung her like a rag-doll. Luckily, Raven was still there, and caught her with her telekinesis, causing her to land safely on her feet.

"Calm down!" Raven yelled to Black Canary. "He's influencing the element of wrath inside you!"

Jared turned to face his half-sister, scowling. "**I WAS going to save you for last, Raven, but since you keep making this difficult...**"

Black Canary's eyes shot wide open as she watched Jared raise a fist. Preparing another Canary Cry, Dinah was cut off as a pair of small black and red blurs whizzed past, sticking to Jared's arm. Jared stopped, staring at the bat-shaped objects attached to his arm, which promptly blew up in his face, Raven taking this opportunity to send her half-brother sailing through a wall with her telekinesis. She then quickly took every loose piece of stone around the new opening and filled it back in, hoping that would keep him at bay if he was still able to keep fighting...and chances were, he was.

"What was that?!" Dinah demanded.

"I would suggest 'help'," Rachel replied, looking behind Black Canary.

Canary turned, seeing a figure further back, still shrouded in the darkness. All she could make out was a dark, caped figure, standing in the shadows, black pointed ears standing up from the tips of their mask. A pair of white eyes pierced the dark, staring back at them.

"...Batman?" Black Canary inquired.

The figure stepped forward, light reflecting off the sewer water illuminating them somewhat. The figure was clearly bat-like, but wore a black and red Batsuit clearly conforming to a female form. Her skin showing under her cowl was porcelain white, and she wore red lipstick to match the red accents of her suit, as well as the red hair flowing out the back of her cowl.

"...Whoa, BatWOMAN...!" Dinah corrected herself, the anger clearing enough now that she could remember... "...Oh man, Huntress!"

Batwoman pressed a button on her belt, and suddenly, the rocks covering Huntress were knocked aside as a transparent dome underneath them widened. Black Canary smiled in relief as Helena could be seen relatively unharmed in the dome, just before it shrunk back down into a disc and fell to the ground in front of her.

"...I want one of those," Huntress said, looking up at Batwoman. "...Oh great. I've been rescued by the Dark Knightess."

"You're welcome," Batwoman replied, walking over to meet with the group.

"The hell are you even doing in Platinum Flats, anyway?" Helena demanded, dusting off her cape. "Don't tell me the Caped Crusader sent you to start some expansion on the west coast or something..."

"We're not exactly friends," the Dark Knightess retorted. "I came to Platinum Flats because I heard there was a severe spike in the crime-levels."

Huntress cocked an eyebrow. "...Funny, that's why I came."

"Hey, not to get in the middle of your pissing contest, but that's kind of why I'm here, too," Canary pointed out, the three looking to each other, then to Raven. "...Rachel?"

"...I knew it," Raven muttered. "I was wondering why I appeared here, when I was trying for Stonehenge. My father has portals in place here. He's using my brothers to increase criminal activity in this city."

"Wait, time out," Huntress interjected. "I'm COMPLETELY lost here. Demons, portals, what is going on?"

"Trigon the Terrible," Batwoman answered. "Inter-dimensional demon, ruler of an unnamed province in Hell itself, and conqueror of six kingdoms known collectively as the Under-Realms."

"...You're well-informed," Raven complimented.

"I've done my research," the Dark Knightess replied. "Your half-brother can't possibly be down for long. We should take this conversation to some place safer."

"I have an apartment not far from here," Dinah offered, "but I have no idea how secure it is to stuff like...well, THAT."

Batwoman sighed, turning away. "...I have a safe-house. Follow me."

With a little hesitance, the other three women followed after Batwoman, making their way down the sewer system. Huntress took up the rear with an arrow armed with dynamite, DEEPLY regretting ever coming to the west coast, and trying to keep her mind calm and NOT shoot the rats that scurried across the pipes over them.

If only she knew. They would've been better off if she had.

* * *

**_AUTHOR'S NOTES:_** Sorry this is so late, got kinda caught up with Pokémon X. lol Anyway, let's get some details out of the way. With Batwoman, I altered her costume a little bit so that it has a cowl instead of the simple face mask she wears in the comics, although it is still shaped similarly to the mask. Reason being, I wanted her to look more like a female counterpart to Batman, and Huntress already has a face mask. The hair poking out the back is still a wig, as it is in the comics, so anyone that tries to pull her hair for an advantage in a fight is in for a surprise.

Anyway, that's it for this chapter. Check in next time as the four regroup and exchange notes, all the while Trigon makes plans to put an end to their group before they can even get their feet off the ground. Ja né!


	3. Birds of a Feather Part 3

**_DISCLAIMER:_**** Black Canary was created by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino. Huntress (Helena Bertinelli) was created by Joey Cavalieri and Joe Staton. Batwoman (Katherine 'Kate' Kane) was created by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid, and Ken Lashley. Raven was created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez. I do not own any of the main characters involved in this story. This story exists in my own fan-made continuity and should not be considered to be part of any already defined by the comics, television series, or movies, though it takes cues from other established continuities created for Birds of Prey, Justice League Dark, and Teen Titans.**

* * *

"...Yeah, this place is better than mine..." Black Canary admitted, in awe of her surroundings.

Having followed Batwoman through the sewer systems, Dinah Lance, Helena Bertinelli, and Rachel Roth had found themselves led to an elevator that took them to a loft in the hills just outside the city, well-concealed in the woodland, and yet still giving a decent view of the harbour. The inside was well-renovated as well, with comfortable living conditions, a crime lab, and a small hole-in-the-wall style gym.

"This WAS a small military training installation during World War II," Batwoman explained. "It was decommissioned at the end of the war, but was never officially shut down. I believe it HAD an official name, but I've taken to just calling it 'The Attic'."

"If THIS is the attic, I can't wait to see the living room," Huntress joked.

Batwoman rolled her eyes under her cowl, taking a seat at her computer. "I'd already pulled up some files on the increased crime waves in Platinum Flats. We should compare notes."

Dinah looked over at the far wall. There were newspaper clippings pinned to it, all of various mob bosses, super-criminals, politicians, and even a few recognized superheroes. Threads were pinned between several of them, like a web, each coloured differently in a sort of code she was sure Batwoman had memorised.

"...Something you're working on?" Black Canary asked.

"She's either trying to figure out who burnt the recipe for the 32nd flavour at Baskin Robbins, or she's still looking for proof of her little 'Secret Society'," Huntress explained.

Black Canary nodded. She'd heard the rumours for almost a couple of years now, ever since the incident where President Luthor was arrested, the government officially recognized Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman as superheroes, and the old registration acts that led to the downfall of the JSA were torn up that there was some sort of Secret Society of Supervillains operating underground. Of course, few took it seriously, and even her ex-fiancé thought that it was a load of crap. Apparently, Batwoman had a different opinion on the matter.

"The Society IS out there, Huntress," the Dark Knightess replied, sounding unamused. "I WILL find them...And for the record, I already know the 32nd flavour at Baskin Robbins."

"Uh-huh, keep telling yoursel-" Helena started to retort before the last thing Batwoman said clicked in her head. "...Wait, seriously?"

Batwoman didn't answer, instead switching on the much bigger computer screen, pulling up a map of Platinum Falls on it. "To be honest, it wasn't just rumours of increased crime that brought me here. A few weeks ago, I'd stumbled upon some information regarding a shipment of stolen chemicals from Wayne Enterprises bound for here."

"Why would they ship it here?" Rachel asked. "I thought Gotham City was on the other side of the country."

The Dark Knightess turned to face Raven. "I didn't know, and that's what bothered me: There was no reason to ship here specifically."

"How'd you come across this information, anyway?" Huntress inquired.

"The old-fashioned way: A bust on some runners for the mob," Batwoman explained. "...Of course, as was usual in Gotham, I wasn't the only one waiting in the wings to catch them..."

* * *

The gangster could see the tooth fly out of his own mouth as the black and red-clad Batwoman kicked him in the jaw. He fell to the ground just as his buddy came charging in, swinging a 2x4. This didn't end well for him, as the Dark Knightess simply caught it and punched straight through it, catching him in the face. Grabbing him in a headlock, she quickly threw a smoke pellet at another incoming crook's face, then kicked the headlocked mob-runner down to the ground while his friend breathed in the knock-out gas stored in the pellet, also falling to the ground.

"Hold it, Bat-bitch!" a mobster yelled, holding a gun to Batwoman's head as he'd somehow managed to get behind her in all the 'excitement'. She raised her hands, seemingly in defeat, all the while actually holding a fold-out Batarang in her hand. She never got a chance to use it, though, as the mobster had his gun knocked away by another Batarang, allowing her to swing her head back and catch him in the face with the back of her cowl. The crook crumpled to the ground unconscious, leaving Batwoman to turn to face the thrower of the Batarang: None other than the Caped Crusader himself, who seemed just as annoyed to see her as she did him.

"I didn't need your help," Batwoman insisted.

"I saw the Batarang," Batman replied, "but I wasn't sure if you could make the throw and walk away without a bullet in the head."

Batwoman scowled. "No faith in others, same as always."

"What would you have done in my place?" Batman asked, to which the Dark Knightess had no answer. "...You came for leads on the stolen Wayne Enterprises chemicals, correct?"

"Same as you, I'd wager," Batwoman suggested, walking over to one of the still conscious thugs and hauling him up. "...Well? Out with it, punk."

"O-Okay, okay!" the mob-runner cried, holding up his hands. "It's Platinum Flats, that's where they're shipping it! I-I dunno when exactly, but it's sometime in the next couple of months!"

"Why there?" the Dark Knight inquired as he walked over.

"I-I-I dunno!" the poor goon stammered. "The mob bosses ain't tellin' us anything lately!"

Batwoman turned to Batman, eyes narrowed in annoyance. "...Gosh, I wonder why THAT is..."

Batman huffed, taking the goon and hauling him over to a light post. "Regardless, we have a window of opportunity now."

"Uh-huh," Batwoman remarked, dragging two of the unconscious mobsters over. "And I suppose now you're going to tell me not to act on that information, go home, hang up the cape and cowl, and forget about ever getting involved in one of your operations ever again?"

"Look, I'm not going to pretend we get along like the best of friends," the Caped Crusader said as he tied up the mobsters, "and ever since you became Batwoman and began operating in Gotham, we've been more concerned with each other than criminals."

Batwoman scowled. He was right, mind you. Ever since she'd decided to become a crime-fighter, wearing the mark of the Bat, something only one other person had done while Batman was active, she'd butted heads with Batman constantly. It wasn't that she had a problem with him specifically, though. He was the one who inspired her to do all this. She just couldn't understand why he refused to accept her as a heroine.

"Your point?" the Dark Knightess asked, getting tired of this argument.

Batman sighed, looking her in the eye. "...If I asked you to do something for me, would it help?"

* * *

Huntress stared blankly at Batwoman in confusion. "...Wait, Batman asked you do this for him? He trusts you with this?"

"He only asked me to do this because he couldn't afford to leave Gotham," Batwoman replied. "It's less about trusting me to do this than it is him not trusting me to take care of Gotham so HE could do it."

"Still, better than how he treats ME most of the time," Helena muttered. "I can't break up a convenience store robbery without him barking at me to leave."

"...Didn't you almost kill a man?" Black Canary asked, arms folded.

Huntress spun to face the blonde fighter. "He killed my family! YOU try fighting a man who killed someone close to you and NOT want, even for a second, to end him!"

Dinah sighed, knowing she'd crossed a line. Helena's family was once among one of the wealthiest Mafia families in Gotham, but they were murdered before her eyes when she was 8 years old in a hit ordered by a rival don. This drove her to, upon reaching adulthood and receiving her family's inheritance, becoming the Huntress and hunting down their killer, Omerta the Silencer, and anyone else connected to the crime. This eventually got Batman's attention, who tried to help her channel her rage, but when Omerta popped up again in Gotham a few months back, she nearly lost control and would've put an arrow between his eyes if Batman wasn't there. Was probably part of the REAL reason she left to come here.

Of course, Hel knew what she'd almost done was wrong, but as she'd put it, Omerta had killed her whole family. Even though they were a Mafia family, criminals like any other, they were her family, and she had to watch as a child as their blood was spilled. And while it was true that some heroes had tragic lives before becoming heroes, not many of them actually had to physically come face-to-face with the one responsible for said tragedy. And try as she might, Dinah just couldn't relate to that. Her father's killer died shortly afterwards, and her mother was a retired ex-superheroine with no real enemies left to seek revenge on her.

"...I'm sorry, Hel," Canary apologised. "I didn't..."

Raven sat on a small couch, sitting cross-legged. "...Regardless of personal reason, I think it's clear why you're all here: The increased crime in Platinum Flats."

"Something you claim your dad is responsible for, right?" Dinah asked, getting a nod. "How is he doing this, exactly?"

Rachel sighed, leaning back. "...As I was starting to tell you before, Trigon has sired many children, but there were seven of us who possessed large portions of his power, specifically the ability to influence one of the seven deadly sins in the hearts of men. He called us 'The Sons of Trigon'."

"...Um, except you're clearly a girl," Huntress pointed out. "How can you be called 'The Sons of Trigon', which FYI, real original name, if one of you is a girl?"

Raven blushed slightly, looking away. "...I'd rather not discuss it at this moment."

"So you and your half-brothers can control the seven deadly sins," Batwoman piped up, cutting Huntress off from asking further questions that Raven seemed uncomfortable answering. "And I'm going to assume the one we met back there is Wrath. Which one are you?"

"It doesn't matter," Raven answered, shaking her head. "I'm done being my father's pawn. I need to stop what he's doing, and part of that means figuring out why he's targeting this city specifically."

Just as Batwoman was about to inquire further, an alarm went off. Looking back to her computer, she pulled up an image of the sewer system, which showed a couple dozen red blips approaching the elevator to The Attic.

"Damn," she cursed. "Looks like your brother sent some friends to come looking for us."

"Helena, you were supposed to keep our tail clean!" Black Canary accused.

"There was no one following us!" Huntress insisted. "Just some rats!"

Raven's eyes widened as she stood up. "...Did you say rats?"

Huntress gave Rachel an odd look, to which she explained, "My brothers tend to use scouts to hunt down and terminate enemies."

"...But, they're just rats," Helena insisted. "How dangerous could-"

Huntress was cut off as Batwoman brought up a security camera's feed from near the elevator. Sure enough, the blips were rats. Rats that were covered in onyx black fur, about 2 feet long, had 4 foot long tails with sharp hooks on the end, long fangs with some sort of black venom dripping from them, and with the same four red eyes as Jared had.

Helena gulped hard. "...Note to self: Rats are officially the devil incarnate now."

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_ Sorry this one is pretty much Exposition Theatre, but I felt I needed to get it out of the way. Mind you, there's still plenty of details left untouched, and I'll get to those later on, but for now, check in next time as the gang takes on a small army of demonic rats. Ja né!


	4. Birds of a Feather Part 4

**_DISCLAIMER:_**** Black Canary was created by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino. Huntress (Helena Bertinelli) was created by Joey Cavalieri and Joe Staton. Batwoman (Katherine 'Kate' Kane) was created by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid, and Ken Lashley. Raven was created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez. I do not own any of the main characters involved in this story. This story exists in my own fan-made continuity and should not be considered to be part of any already defined by the comics, television series, or movies, though it takes cues from other established continuities created for Birds of Prey, Justice League Dark, and Teen Titans.**

* * *

Batwoman's eyes narrowed as she stared at the computer screen. More demonic rats were approaching the location of the hidden elevator, and if they managed to find it and relay its hiding place to Trigon, her hideout would be compromised in the worst possible way. With that thought in mind, she hit a button that opened a panel in the wall, revealing a rack with a large array of gadgetry.

"I can't take them all on my own," the Dark Knightess admitted, switching out some of the gear in her utility belt. "Help yourselves."

"Advanced trick arrows?" Huntress asked, admiring the objects in question on the rack, her eyes wide and gleaming like a child on Christmas. "Oh, you shouldn't have!"

"You break it, you buy it," Batwoman reminded as all but Raven armed up.

"Bill me, I've got a LARGE inheritance to play with," Helena pointed out.

"I know," Batwoman replied, then turned to face Huntress with a smirk. "_**Mine's bigger**_."

"If you're done hosing down the floor with testosterone," Dinah interjected, "can I just bring up that we need to use the elevator, the same elevator we want to keep hidden, in order to get down there?"

Raven pulled the hood of her cloak over her head. "I think I can offer a decent alternative, if you want."

The other three women finished arming themselves as they turned back to Rachel, Huntress' head tilted in confusion. "What do you mea-"

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" Raven called out, her eyes glowing white.

Before they could ask, a large raven effigy of black energy formed from behind Rachel and enveloped the group in its wings. From within it, the four felt themselves in motion, but couldn't see where. Luckily, Raven could tell in her mind, as they eventually came to a halt, her familiar fading away as they found themselves in a chamber within the Platinum Flats sewer system, a fair distance away from the elevator.

"Ugh," Dinah groaned, feeling her stomach lurch, "you couldn't warn us?"

"First of all, technically, I did," Raven corrected her. "Second, behind you!"

Dinah turned. Sure enough, just a few feet away, was one of the demon rats, hissing at them. It lunged at her, fangs bared and black venomous drool pouring down its jaw, but Huntress was quick to grab Black Canary and pull her out of the way while shooting an arrow at the rat. The arrow hit its target, but instead of embedding into it and leaving a rotting corpse behind, the rat exploded into a puff of black smoke, like it had never been there at all.

"Thanks," Dinah panted to Helena. "Duck?"

The Violet Marksman looked confused for a split second, but ducked as Black Canary pulled out her sansetsukon and swung it hard. Naturally, her aim wasn't for Hel, but for the rat crawling along the wall behind her, taking it out and leaving black smog in its wake. It was at this point that the four found themselves surrounded as more rats were coming out through nearby tunnels and holes in the walls, and quickly armed themselves.

"Well, looks like they've got their prey right where they want them, don't they?" Raven asked, preparing herself.

Batwoman shook her head, pulling a Batarang. "They have it horribly mixed, then."

"THEY'RE the prey," Huntress added while setting an arrow, "and we're the predators."

Black Canary nodded with a smirk, tightening her gloves. "We're not prey, we're the Birds of Prey!"

With that, the four went to work. Batwoman opened with a flurry of Batarangs that took down a trio of charging rats. Huntress fired a trick arrow that split off into two, hitting a pair of the demonic vermin. Black Canary let out the hooks of her weapon and slashed down any demon rats that got too close to the four. Finally, Raven was using telekinesis take hold of loose stone from the walls and fling it into their attackers. All this seemed to be working just fine, but with each one they took down, two more were waiting to take its place.

"Y'know, it's times like these that I REALLY wanna slap that guy from The Princess Bride!" Huntress joked.

"You have that whole movie memorised, don't you?" Dinah asked, taking down another rat.

"I blame your fiancé!" Helena declared, tripping up four rats with a net arrow.

"Ex-fiancé!" Black Canary corrected, stomping down on a demonic vermin. "...See, THIS is why I don't like going into sewers with you! It's ALWAYS either rats, or Killer Croc, or anything else that's gross and trying to kill us!"

"Are you two like this all the time?" Batwoman inquired, using an explosive Batarang to cause a small cave-in on a few rats several feet away.

"You're actually catching us on a VERY good day," Black Canary answered. "Ears!"

The group covered their ears as Dinah let loose a Canary Cry that tore up a passageway, taking the rats with it and caving it in so no more could come that way. Following up, once the shrieking ended, Raven reached out telekinetically to the stone rubble torn from the ground and walls and slammed it into anything furry that was still moving. Within moments, the area was clear, leaving Black Canary a moment to take a breath of relief.

"Think there's any left?" the blonde fighter asked.

Batwoman touched an invisible button near her lens, calling up information from her computer. "There's a lot less blips, but they seem to be backing off...Wait...One BIG red blip on its way."

Raven's looked to Batwoman's right, her eyes glowing. "I can feel him...It's Jared."

"Guess he wants us for himself," Helena suggested, loading her crossbow. "Think we can take him this time?"

Dinah gave her wrist a shake. "Yeah, sure. 4-on-1, and I think I got a grasp on his style after last time."

Huntress just nodded, the four getting ready as a loud stomping echoed throughout the halls, getting louder as the source got closer. After a few moments, the side of the LONG tunnel they were looking down was blown down, Jared stepping out from the other side. He stared the four down, dressed in his hoodie and shrunken down, yet still making out thuds as he took his steps. He smirked at the four heroines as he walked very slowly toward them.

"**...So, not going to run this time?**" Jared asked.

"You've got a fair bit of damage and mayhem to answer for, Jared," Batwoman declared, drawing a Batclaw from her belt. "We're not backing down until you do."

"For starters, you owe me a new bike!" Dinah joked, gripping her sansetsukon.

"**You think you can just..._ARREST_ me?!**" Jared laughed. "**A demon! One of the best and brightest Sons of Trigon! And you think you can just _lock me away somewhere and throw away the key?!_**"

"I won't allow you to run amok anymore, brother," Raven threatened, readying herself to hurl a spell at a moment's notice. "You or our father."

"One way or another, ugly, we're taking you in," Huntress replied, aiming her crossbow. "Now, are you gonna make this easy, or hard?"

Jared stopped, a few feet away. He pulled his hood down, revealing his bald head and, more importantly, his four red eyes, seemingly staring a hole in each of them at once. His amused face vanished as he started to expand slightly, his teeth turning into jagged fangs as he snarled at the group. His gloves shredded apart as his fingernails turned to long, sharp claws.

"**I think I'LL CHOOSE**_** THE LATTER!**_" Jared roared, expanding to a size that dwarfed even his previous stature, nearly grinding his skull along the ceiling as he began to dash toward the four.

The heroines went to work right away, leaping to the left and right of the chamber. Huntress and Batwoman aimed and fired at Jared's legs, Huntress' arrow attached to a line, the two connecting to one another to hold him still. At that moment, Raven hurled the largest hunk of stone at Jared's face, while Black Canary drop-kicked him in the chest. The joint assault was enough to knock him onto his back...for a moment, as he simply kicked his feet back up, snapping the lines like twigs, and flipped back onto them. He immediately went for the hair of Black Canary, swinging her into Huntress and knocking them both into the wall.

"Azarath, Metrion, _**ZINTHOS!**_" Raven cried, eyes and hands glowing bright.

A moment later, Jared found himself coated in black energy and flung into the ceiling, then dragged across it for several feet before he broke free and landed on his feet once again. He retaliated with a pair of eye blasts, but Raven held out a hand, her skin turning redder while seemingly gathering the energy into a dark purple, almost black, wisp of flame. Holding it in the palm of her hand, she blew on it, sending it in a column of fire that scorched her half-brother, as well as the walls around him, before expanding out and caving in the walls and ceiling on Jared. Once it was over, her skin began to pale again as her knees buckled, Batwoman catching her before she fell.

"What WAS that?" the Dark Knightess demanded.

"...Dark magic, compliments of my father's cruel teachings..." Rachel replied between pants.

"Thought you said you were done with all that," Batwoman questioned.

"It IS possible to use it for good," Raven noted. "Can be VERY draining, though..."

"_**GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**_" Jared roared, bursting free of the stone as blood-red flames of energy rose out from his eyes.

Jared rushed the group, just as Huntress and Black Canary were starting to get back up, but not in enough time to keep Jared from his target: Raven. Thankfully, Batwoman WAS able, pushing Raven out of the way as Jared stormed through, ramming himself and the Dark Knightess through a stone wall, albeit a highly weakened one. Batwoman groaned in pain, only slightly lessened by her suit, but still managed to wiggle herself just enough to get on Jared's back, just as he busted through another, much harder wall. Realising the half-demon was in some sort of unstoppable raging rush and still had a grip on her cape, Batwoman grabbed a pair of Batarangs and struck the sides of his head with them, trying to get him to stop. However, far too late as she and the others behind her could only watch as she and Jared soon found themselves going out the end of a large pipe that emptied out over the cliffs outside.

"Batwoman!" Raven screamed in horror, her and the others regaining their strength and running for the end of the pipe. The four could only stare down at what lay below: A cliffside being hit by waves from the ocean, pointed rocks jabbing up and out, and no sign of Jared or Batwoman.

"...No..." Rachel murmured, sinking to her knees, Dinah putting a hand on her shoulder.

"...If you three aren't doing anything!"

Helena's eyes narrowed as she looked to the source, letting out a sigh. "...Why did we look? We KNEW this was the result."

Sure enough, hanging from the cliffside on a line was Batwoman, her cape torn in half and gripping her Batclaw tightly. "Are you going to help me up or not?!"

"What happened to Jared?!" Black Canary called as Raven concentrated, pulling Batwoman up with telekinesis.

"His nails tore through my cape," Batwoman explained as she re-entered the pipe. "I didn't see what happened, but...I'm sorry, Raven. I don't think he-"

"_**RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVVVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNN NNNNNN!**_" a loud roar interrupted, followed by a massive sploosh below.

The four stared below. Leering back up at them was Jared, standing on a slab of stone jutting out from the water, which was all being forced away by sheer will and rage. He had dark blood trickling down his forehead, and he was glaring at the four with enough wrathful anger that it might have caused a lesser person to simply die from the sight of it.

"Are you kidding me?!" Huntress demanded. "What stops him?!"

As if in answer, Jared fired a giant blast from his upper eyes at the cliff, just under the pipe, sending it and the four inhabiting it tumbling, Raven trying desperately to grab hold of them telekinetically. He then leaped up, looking to end this in the skies. Deciding it was now all or nothing, Huntress managed to get an arrow out and fired, piercing Jared's upper-left eye. He roared in pain, but then roared even louder as this was followed up by a Batarang to the upper-right. Peering through his only remaining eyes, he watched as Black Canary fell towards him, a fist curled tightly, and for the first time today, he felt something other than rage and amusement.

Jared, the wrath, felt fear.

Bringing her fist forward, Black Canary caught Jared HARD in the jaw, and while she was sure she wouldn't be able to write right for a few days from how hard the punch was, the instant gratification of seeing one of Jared's teeth fly free was enough for her to ignore it. The half-demon fell back to the slab of earth below, cracking it across his back, while Raven managed to get ahold of them, allowing them to gently touch down around her fallen sibling. Jared groaned as he lifted his head to stare angrily at them, the four getting ready for it all to start again.

"**...I...hate birds...**" Jared grunted before letting his head fall back, losing consciousness.

The four women sighed, feeling it was finally over. However, the sigh was soon replaced by a gasp as a large red and violet vortex opened a couple of feet before them. Four red eyes glared through it, full of evil and malice, and immediately the heroines knew the one looking back at them.

"...Trigon...?" Huntress asked, her face paling slightly.

"Don't worry, he can't hurt you," Raven assured her. "He can open portals to Earth, but he can't cross through them."

"**You disappoint me, Raven,**" Trigon spoke through the portal, a dark energy dragging Jared through it. "**You have sided with the human race, you have defeated and humiliated your own brother...You have made an enemy out of me and the rest of your family.**"

"I made a choice," Rachel exclaimed. "I won't let you take this world over, father. I'll oppose you at every turn."

"**You believe the human race will accept you and your aid?**" Trigon shot back, a small burst of flame shooting up from his eyes. "**A demon like me?**"

Raven's eye twitched slightly, taking in his words, but Black Canary stood beside her. "...I've already accepted her. Others will, too."

Huntress smirked. "Beat me to it again, huh Di?"

"Already had to save her twice today," Batwoman remarked. "Can't say as it felt wrong either time."

"**...Then let that be written on your graves when I am finished with each of you...**" Trigon remarked as the portal shut defiantly in their faces, Trigon and his son disappearing from the world...for now.

* * *

Dinah groaned as she sat back on the couch in 'The Attic'. She had a pack of ice on her hand, the pain from its earlier encounter with the side of Jared's face catching up with her. Helena was likewise icing her ankle from landing on it the wrong way at some point. Still, considering what they were up against and how many times the four of them very nearly died, she and the others came out with pretty small scrapes by comparison.

"Y'know, there's a quicker way," Rachel offered, sitting between the two. She then waved her hands across their wounds, sending a warm white light into them that numbed them for a moment. As the numbness faded, so too did the pain.

"...Niiice!" Helena commented. "Healing magic, huh? Having you around will be awesome after all."

Batwoman sighed as she walked back out into the room, a new cape slung across her shoulders. "You realise that Trigon won't rest until each and every one of us is dead now, right?"

"Based on what Raven told us, he can't come through the portals, only his kids can," Dinah replied. "We'll deal with them if they ever decide to come back."

"...'We'?" Huntress asked. "Are we some kinda team now?"

Canary blinked, catching herself off-guard as she hadn't SERIOUSLY given it thought, their earlier team-up just sort of happening. "...I don't know. Are we?"

"I was under the impression we'd declared it down in the tunnels," Batwoman remarked. "In any event, we're all here, we're all targeted by Trigon, and we're all trying to deal with the increased crime waves here in Platinum Flats, so it would be in our best interest to stay together."

Dinah thought for a moment, arms folded. "...We'll need a name."

Raven smiled, holding a hand out. "Thought we already had one. Remember? We're not prey..."

Black Canary grinned, putting her hand over Rachel's, which was soon joined by Huntress' and Batwoman's. "...We're the Birds of Prey."

_DING~!_

The four turned to the elevator, Huntress blinking in surprise as it let out the ding to indicate it was on its way up. "...Um, did we order pizza?"

"Someone's in the elevator!" Batwoman exclaimed, touching a finger to her cowl as the four formed up. "...Dammit, the camera's been hacked. I can't see who's inside...!"

"I thought you said the controls were military-grade password protected!" Huntress accused, loading her crossbow.

The Birds of Prey readied their weapons, preparing themselves as the elevator reached their floor. It dinged once more just before the doors opened, Huntress aiming her crossbow into the face of the occupant...Or rather, that was the idea, as the occupant was below her aim, being seated in a wheelchair. The young red-haired woman looked around at the four from behind her glasses, clutching a laptop on her lap.

Dinah gasped as she immediately recognized the woman. "..._Babs?!_"

"...Hey, Di," Barbara replied. "Heard you relocated...Love your new friends..."

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_ Yeah, was kind of a last-minute decision to bring Babs in. I just decided it would be impossible to do the Birds of Prey without Oracle. But, hey, I was considering adding her to the group at some point anyway, so might as well do so now.

As you've probably gathered, this story is going to be ongoing, with mini-arcs here and there. I'll probably be taking breaks in-between arcs to write other stuff and then come back to BoP, but I'll try not to leave readers without it for too long. For the most part, it'll focus on Black Canary, Huntress, Raven, and Batwoman teaming up to fight criminals, demons, and other baddies in Platinum Flats, while Oracle co-ordinates the team from The Attic. However, expect a wide array of DC characters to rotate in and out, in particular some superheroines that'll pop in from time to time. :)

Anyway, check back in next time as the team starts to get organized, with a minor hiccup here and there, and we learn more about Barbara's deal in my continuity. Ja né!


	5. Manes, Museums, and Mayhem Part 1

**_DISCLAIMER:_**** Black Canary was created by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino. Huntress (Helena Bertinelli) was created by Joey Cavalieri and Joe Staton. Batwoman (Katherine 'Kate' Kane) was created by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid, and Ken Lashley. Raven was created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez. I do not own any of the main characters involved in this story. This story exists in my own fan-made continuity and should not be considered to be part of any already defined by the comics, television series, or movies, though it takes cues from other established continuities created for Birds of Prey, Justice League Dark, and Teen Titans.**

* * *

Dinah harrumphed, looking over the damage to her motorcycle. As if crashing into a pool wasn't bad enough, that jerk Jared had banged it up a bit, then threw it out of the pool, sending it tumbling across concrete. The dents and dings could be fixed easily enough, but both tires, the engine, and pretty much all of the wiring would have to be replaced. At this point, it was officially cheaper to go out and buy a new one, not that she had the money for either option. She COULD ask Huntress or Batwoman to spare some change, but that was a last option only, and she was NOT looking forward to the possibility of having to pay either of them back.

"Hey, Rach?" the blonde-haired bombshell called over her shoulder out of her garage. "Just so you know, your brother's a bastard!"

"Well, technically, none of our mothers were ever married to Trigon!" Raven called back from Dinah's bathroom. "Anyway, I'm getting in the shower, don't run any water!"

Dinah sighed, looking back to her once-glorious bike. "Don't worry, wouldn't do any good to wash it right now anyway."

Black Canary turned and walked out of the garage in her basement-level apartment. It wasn't so bad. Plenty of living space for a single person, only a few other apartments above her, and the only time she ever had to see any of them was while sharing a laundry room. Unfortunately, as Raven had nowhere else to go, that meant the second generation superheroine now had a room-mate to share her single bedroom apartment with. After all, Helena and Batwoman lived in their own locations that they kept secret, and The Attic was currently occupied by Dinah's old college friend, Barbara, who had managed to impress the Dark Knightess enough with her computer hacking skills to let her improve their tech. So it wasn't like Rachel had anywhere else to stay, or that Dinah could just turn down the poor girl, could she?

_Sometimes, I REALLY hate being a good, selfless person,_ Dinah groaned inwardly, plopping down on the couch as she heard the water running, Rachel clearly having her shower. _Still, at least she cleans up after herself, and is relatively nice._

"Oh, darn it, I forgot to get a towel!" Raven cursed. "Where are they again?"

"In the closet just across from the bathroom!" Black Canary replied. "Hang on, I'll bring one i-"

"_**NO**_, that's okay!" Rachel quickly shouted, Dinah watching as the closet door opened and a towel levitated to the bathroom. "Don't mind me, I'm perfectly fine!"

Black Canary sighed, leaning back in the couch. _Granted, a bit too withdrawn and shy for my tastes. And the telepathy and magic are just downright weird sometimes..._

Dinah gave her head a little shake, switching the TV on to see if there was anything good on. After flipping through what few channels she had, she finally decided on a documentary that was being done on Wonder Woman, her time operating as a superheroine in America, her work with Superman and Batman, if she was really from an island of warrior women, and so on. Black Canary smirked as she made a mental note to suggest to Batwoman about asking the Amazon Warrior to join their little group. After all, the more the merrier, right?

* * *

Batwoman frowned as she looked through her binoculars out the window of The Attic at the harbour. There was still no sign of the people she had come to deal with in the first place, and she'd kept a constant vigil over the harbour, so she couldn't have missed them. Still, that wasn't the reason for her frown. Not the whole reason, anyway.

In truth, the Dark Knightess was having second thoughts to agreeing to this 'Birds of Prey' team idea. It wasn't even so much the fact that she was working with three other superheroines when she was used to working alone that bothered her. Well, not really, anyway. Black Canary was a bit too forceful in combat, but seemed a kind and gentle woman outside it. Huntress was sarcastic and could get under her skin in a hurry, but she tended to be a professional in the field. Raven was a complete mystery and was tied to the source of their greatest woes, but was ultimately a good person to be around. Still, there was one part of this arrangement that'd she'd agreed to that was now causing her a fair bit of grief.

"Wow, it's amazing how much work you get out of such a small access to Platinum Flats' computer network," Barbara Gordon commented from the computer desk. "You realise you don't need to look through those binoculars to watch the harbour? I could hack the security cameras and have real-time copies of their digital feed available to you from now until pigs fly."

Batwoman fought back the urge to growl. Barbara Gordon, also known as the computer hacker and tech wizard Oracle, had broken into her headquarters with humiliating levels of ease, and was now going about upgrading her systems in ways that she had never dreamed possible. That stung a bit for her, as she had once prided herself for being able to make something of the EXTREMELY primitive technology available in The Attic when she'd 'acquired' it. And she knew that Oracle meant well, but every time Babs, as Dinah liked to call her from their apparent time as best friends in college, found ways to improve what she'd once considered effective and state of the art crime-fighting technology, she couldn't help but feel insulted.

"Anyway, I figure I can pretty much have you plugged into anything online in the whole city in less than a week," Oracle went on. "Crooks won't be able to come anywhere near a bank without you knowing about it."

"Well, feel free to get on it," Batwoman replied.

Babs shrugged. "Whatever you say, Kate."

Batwoman's eyes widened as she spun around to face Oracle, who simply cocked an eyebrow her way. "What? Everyone else in the team is open with each other about their secret identities."

Katherine sighed hard. "The others aren't billionaire bachelorettes, and how the hell did you even know that in the first place?"

"Please, there isn't a superhero or masked vigilante in the US that I don't know their secret identity," Oracle answered. "Superman, Green Arrow, Batman..."

Batwoman blinked, stunned for a moment. "...You know Batman's secret identity?"

"Yes, but I've been sworn to secrecy on that one, as I can do for you if you really want," Barbara responded. "I WILL say, though, given who you are and your issues with each other, it's _**HILARIOUS**_."

Kate groaned, turning back to the window. _Well, this will be a fun night. God, what I wouldn't give for a robbery-in-progress right now._

* * *

Huntress knelt down, perched on a rooftop overlooking a museum loading dock. Much as she hated to admit it, she missed the gargoyles that were on most Gotham City buildings. At least they granted better cover, and because they were so creepy looking, most criminals, being the superstitious and cowardly lot that they were, chose not to peek up at them. And, on a night like tonight, she could use them.

Peering down, Helena watched as three figures in brown cloaks ran to the loading dock. Pulling out some kind of device, one of them managed to override the security lock on the steel door, opening it slowly. Seeing this as her cue, Huntress fired an arrow on a line to hook onto the museum wall and slid down it, dropping off at just the right point and angle to dropkick one of the three as they were entering, the other two turning to face the Violet Archer.

"Trust me, this was NOT a nice night for a robbery," Huntress declared with a smirk, aiming her crossbow. "You'll wanna give up now."

Helena barely managed to leap over as the one she thought she'd knocked out swiped at her, revealing golden gauntlets with sharp claws at the end of their fingers. Her eyes widened as she remembered where she'd last seen something like that, and quickly flipped over the individual, hooking an arrow under their hood to pull it back, revealing an African-American woman wearing white tribal face paint and a red head-dress with different animal bones dangling from it.

"Qandisa!" Huntress exclaimed, then looked to the other two cloaked figures. "Which would make you two Ngai and Shango, the wives of Lion-Mane!"

"So, you remember us," Qandisa remarked as the others pulled their hoods down.

"I remember shutting down your operations in Gotham almost a year ago," Huntress replied. "You'd think a trio of ladies as smart as you would know better than to try this kind of stunt AGAIN."

"You remember wrong," Ngai, the woman with a pink mask and grass head-dress, shot back. "It was Batman who temporarily defeated us, you were simply along for the ride."

Huntress smirked. "Really? That broken nose of yours says otherwise."

"In any event," Shango, the woman wearing fancy jewellery, cut in, "it matters little. You can't take us all alone, and we WILL rob this museum of its treasures for Lord Lion-Mane."

The Violet Archer tilted her head. "Funny, I thought he was in jail. Possibly a zoo."

The loud thud that followed this sentence made Huntress immediately regret saying it, as well as coming in alone. Sure enough, as Hel turned around, there stood the monstrous criminal, possessing the upper torso of a were-lion, and the lower body of a lion. He had black tribal paint across his more human-like half. His fangs were bared as he growled at Huntress, his eyes clear in their hungry, murderous intent.

Huntress chuckled nervously, clutching her crossbow. "So, um, three wives, huh? Wow, you really DO get a lot of pu-"

"_**RRROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWRRR!**_" Lion-Mane roared, the mere force of which sent Huntress sailing across the loading dock and crashing through a nearby crate of unpackaged goods.

"Oww..." Helena moaned, digging out a small round device from her belt adorned with the emblem of a blackbird. "Okay, time to call for help."

* * *

Raven sighed, drying off her hair as she sat on the edge of Dinah's bed in her purple sleep pants and black tank top. She hated imposing like this, but she had nowhere else to go. It meant a lot to her that Di was nice enough to allow her to stay, but letting her sleep in the bed while she took the couch was just wrong, as was letting her borrow her clothes. Well, what ones that fit anyway. And on top of that, Rachel just hated the fact that, half-human she might be, she was also half-demon, and there were some things about herself that she couldn't share with Dinah. She'd think she was a freak or worse.

"Hey, Rach?" the blonde in the living room called. "You feel like pizza and a movie? I've got a couple of pre-made ones in the fridge."

Just as Rachel was contemplating it, a loud beeping interrupted. Reaching a hand out, she levitated a circular device into her hand, the blackbird emblem flashing violet as the device continued beeping. Realising what this meant, Rachel called out her raven familiar, enveloping herself in it, before it faded away, leaving her in her costume as she stepped out into the living room.

"Pizza and movie night will have to wait!" Raven declared. "Huntress is in trouble!"

* * *

**_AUTHOR'S NOTES:_** So, I thought I'd do a short arc that's more about the Birds gelling together more as a group, while also dealing with a criminal with supernatural abilities. I picked Lion-Mane because I'd read that the Earth 2 version once fought that world's Huntress, and the New 52 version had three warrior brides that worked for him, thus making a fight between him and the BoP 4-on-4. Plus, his newer incarnation just looks menacing as all heck. We'll get more into his deal later on.

As for Barbara, she's basically just starting to be Oracle, but she's clearly already a VERY gifted hacker. She and Dinah know each other from college, and are good friends. As for whether she was ever Batgirl or not, I'll get into that in a bit, but for now, it's obvious she at one point worked with Batman in some capacity. I will also make clear that she is in the wheelchair following the events of Killing Joke, albeit somewhat altered, and again, I will explain the differences later.

Anyway, check back in next time as the Birds of Prey take on Lion-Mane and his wives in a 4-on-4 brawl. Ja né!


	6. Manes, Museums, and Mayhem Part 2

**_DISCLAIMER:_**** Black Canary was created by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino. Huntress (Helena Bertinelli) was created by Joey Cavalieri and Joe Staton. Batwoman (Katherine 'Kate' Kane) was created by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid, and Ken Lashley. Raven was created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez. I do not own any of the main characters involved in this story. This story exists in my own fan-made continuity and should not be considered to be part of any already defined by the comics, television series, or movies, though it takes cues from other established continuities created for Birds of Prey, Justice League Dark, and Teen Titans.**

* * *

Hel groaned as she got back to her feet in the debris of the crate she crashed through, glad her suit was thick enough to absorb damage like that. Unfortunately, she knew it couldn't take a bite from Lion-Mane, which meant she had to dodge fast as he lunged at her, managing to chomp a hunk out of her cape. She tucked and rolled across the floor, coming to a stop in front of the door leading further into the museum, then ducked as Lion-Mane leaped at her, sending him crashing through the door and into a clay vase.

"Oh, crap!" Huntress cursed. "Oh, I hope that wasn't expensive!"

The Violet Archer found herself having to dodge wildly again as Lion-Mane's wives/henchwomen, Ngai, Qandisa, and Shango, came running at her, cloaks discarded and swiping at her with golden clawed gauntlets. Taking the fight out into the larger room outside of the loading dock, giving her more room to weave around her attackers, Huntress finally decided to spring up onto a staircase. She landed on the halfway point of the stairs, giving herself a moment's breather, only now noticing the cut across her arm.

"Damn, can't take them alone," Helena muttered, just before Qandisa leaped up and threw a foot in her face, knocking her back and sending her crossbow tumbling down the stairs.

Huntress gave her head a shake, refocusing as Ngai brought a pair of claws straight down toward her face. With a grunt, Hel just managed to catch her attacker's forearms as she was backed against a banister to the staircase. In her stunned state, though, she knew she couldn't hold out long, meaning she had to go for something a bit less conventional. Kicking her legs up, she wrapped them around Ngai's hips, then slid herself downward, sending the warrior bride's face into the banister hard. Releasing her grip around Ngai's hips, she then wrapped both arms around her waist, and, with as much strength as she could manage, shoved her into Qandisa, sending both crashing into Shango as she was on her way.

Just as Helena was feeling good about herself, though, she soon found herself the target of a leaping, angry-looking Lion-Mane. Instinctively, she rolled to her left, but Lion-Mane's massive arm managed to swat her, sending her down the stairs. Huntress cried out as she came to a stop, her leg in agony. Seeing Lion-Mane turn to her, looking hungrily at her fallen form, she reached out to her fallen crossbow, arming it with an arrow, only to find it knocked away as Lion-Mane pinned her down with all four of his lion legs.

"I'm going to enjoy devouring you, Huntress!" Lion-Mane growled, salivating.

Helena just stared into his eyes defiantly. "Go hack up a hairball...!"

Lion-Mane roared in anger, raising a massive fist to bring straight down through Huntress' skull. It never came, though, as a claw-like device flew in, clenching onto his arm before shooting out a line to a stone pillar. It then yanked on him hard, sending him crashing into the pillar. Hel sighed in relief, a red and black figure landing beside her.

"Getting a little tired of saving your ass, Huntress," Batwoman declared.

"I'd tell you to bite me, but I don't know what kind of bat you are," Huntress shot back, feeling the familiar sensation of her wounds healing, meaning the Dark Knightess wasn't the only one to respond.

"You're very lucky," Raven said, finishing the process. "You must not have been all that far up the stairs, or these wounds would be FAR worse, and there's only so much I'm capable of healing before it becomes permanent damage."

Huntress nodded, getting up and facing Raven and Black Canary. "Okay, so note to self: Don't fall down any more stairs."

The four formed up, as did Lion-Mane and his wives. The were-lion wiped his face with his forearm, growling at the blood that came from his nose. Within moments, the combatants found themselves paired off: Shango with Black Canary, Lion-Mane with Raven, Qandisa against Huntress, Ngai with Batwoman. Black Canary pulled her sansetsukon from her jacket, clutching it in her hands tightly as both sides waited for the other to make the first move.

"Let's try not to break anything valuable," the second-generation heroine said, glancing to her allies.

"I think I already broke Lion-Mane's nose," Batwoman noted. "Does that count as valuable?"

Enraged, Lion-Mane roared loudly, echoing throughout the museum. He and his wives charged their opponents, the Birds of Prey ready for the fight. Raven levitated herself off the ground, avoiding the were-lion's wild slashes. He growled louder with each miss, eventually leaping up at Rachel for a fierce mid-air tackle. She created a black barrier to block Lion-Mane's attack, and while it worked, the shock was still enough to knock her back a bit. Looking around, Rachel spotted an empty crate, hoping it was thick enough for her needs.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" Raven chanted, lifting the crate up and hurling it at Lion-Mane, shutting it with him inside.

Back on the floor, Black Canary flipped backward, avoiding an attack from Shango as she drew a scimitar from a scabbard on her back. Landing next to a table covered in artefacts, Dinah lifted one particularly valuable one off the table before ducking a downward slash from her opponent, her blade sticking into the thick table. Dinah then grabbed Shango by the hair, slamming the woman's face into the rather hard-looking hilt of the scimitar, sending her crumbling to the floor. Black Canary smirked, placing the artefact back on the table next to the scimitar.

"Hmm, I wonder if they'd be willing to accept this sword into the museum," Dinah wondered aloud. "Would save the trouble of trying to pry it loose."

At the same time, on the other side of the room, Huntress backed against a stone pillar, Qandisa rushing her with a pair of short swords. Thinking quickly, Hel pulled a pair of arrows and stabbed them into the pillar above her, flipping up and over her opponent and letting her smack into it. Dropping down behind the warrior bride, Huntress fired a trick arrow that opened into a net at Qandisa, keeping her pinned to it.

Meanwhile, a few feet away, Ngai smashed open a glass case, retrieving a tribal spear from it before pointing the spear at Batwoman. "I think I'll set this spear out front of my house with your corpse on it, just to show the world!"

"You might want to reconsider that," Batwoman replied, holding her cape closed around herself.

Ngai simply yelled out in reply, charging the Dark Knightess, who didn't budge. Finally, at the last moment, Batwoman threw her cape back, revealing she was holding a Batclaw in one hand, aiming it for the spear and knocking it free of Ngai's hands and sending it tumbling across the ground. Ngai, now unarmed, ran right into a left hook from Batwoman, falling back on her behind. As soon as she was done, Ngai found herself tied up with bolas.

"Can't say I didn't warn you," Batwoman said with a grin.

"Kate, might wanna help Raven," the Dark Knightess heard in the earpiece of her cowl, much to her surprise.

"Oracle," Batwoman answered coldly. "How the hell did you-?"

"Later," Barbara insisted. "Raven needs you NOW."

Turning to look across the room, Batwoman watched as Lion-Mane leaped up from the busted remains of a crate, smashing through Rachel's barrier and tackling her to a wall. Using her Batclaw to zip-line across the room quickly, Kate managed to level Lion-Mane in the temple with a well-placed side kick, knocking him off Raven and sending him sliding across the floor. Drawing a concussive-blast Batarang, she waited until the were-lion got back to his feet, Black Canary rushing over.

"Feel like a combo?" Dinah suggested, getting a quick nod from Batwoman. The Dark Knightess hurled the Batarang, Black Canary letting loose a Canary Cry that shot the explosive bat-shaped throwing dart forward hard and fast, the resulting explosion mixing with the sonic attack for blast that knocked Lion-Mane out cold.

"Nice shot," Huntress complimented as she made her way over.

"Batwoman, you might wanna let the others know, the police are on their way," Oracle said over Batwoman's earpiece. "You'll be wanting to take your leave."

Batwoman nodded, looking to the others. "The PFPD are on their way. Let's make ourselves scarce. Raven?"

Raven nodded, letting her familiar out as it enveloped the group. They felt themselves in motion, apparently moving through the air as they heard sirens pass below them. Within a few minutes, the Birds of Prey found themselves back in The Attic, Oracle watching the museum security cameras over the computer screen. The police were arriving en masse, with heavy equipment for locking up Lion-Mane.

"Sent them an anonymous phone call," Babs explained. "Don't worry, they won't be able to trace it."

"Once they've arrested them, the first thing they'll check is the security cameras," Batwoman pointed out, "and SOME of us were trying to keep a low profile."

"Oh, I don't think they'll find much on the security cams," Oracle replied with a smirk, hitting a button on the keyboard and closing the security camera feed. "I just cut all ties between the museum and here, AND deleted all saved video footage from their digital cameras."

Kate's jaw looked ready to drop through the floor, Dinah just giggling at the look on her face. "That's just Babs, BW. You get used to it after a while."

Huntress yawned loudly, stretching a bit. "Oh man, I NEED to hit the sack, pronto."

Raven nodded. "Good idea. Batwoman? Do you need a lift back to...?"

"I'm fine," the Dark Knightess responded. "Goodnight."

Batwoman's team-mates just shrugged, Raven pulling them back into her familiar before they vanished from sight. The Dark Knightess then turned to face Oracle, who sighed, wheeling away from the computer desk.

"...I get it, Batwoman," Barbara muttered. "Not wanted, getting invasive. I'll leave."

Kate groaned, pulling her cowl off, taking the long red wig with it, revealing only mid-length red hair underneath. "That's not...Dammit, Gordon, do you HAVE to be so damned good at this?"

Babs stopped, staring at Katherine like she'd grown another head. "Is that what this is about? You envy me?"

"Yes, Goddamn it!" Batwoman cursed, plopping down into a seat. "You're making me look completely pathetic in my own arena! This is supposed to be MY operation, and you've completely taken it over! And I know that you're just doing your job, trying to help as best as you can, but between you and the Birds, it makes me wonder why I even bother!"

"C'mon, you're freaking Batwoman," Barbara insisted.

"Yeah, I know!" Kate yelled, finally letting days, no, MONTHS worth of pent-up issues loose. "But the fact is, if Batman had his way, I wouldn't be Batwoman! I wouldn't be ANYTHING! The man inspired me to be a crime-fighter, a detective, to use my family's fortune to stop crime and evil, and he treated me as a nuisance! I was SO glad to finally get the hell out from under his shadow and be operating on my own, and now look! I'm just a member of a team now, and everything, EVERYTHING I can bring to the table can be done better than me!"

Katherine grunted, tossing her belt off and across the room, a stray Batarang flying out and sticking into the wall. She stared up at the ceiling, panting as she'd finally let everything out. She felt relieved to do so, and yet, ludicrously embarrassed at the same time, especially given who she'd vented in front of. Through all of this, Barbara wasn't saying anything, instead wheeling over to a window, looking up at the moonlit sky.

"You have no idea how lucky you are," Babs said, a hint of sadness to her tone that didn't go unnoticed by Batwoman. "To do what you do, to be able to actually go out and stop crimes. To swing from buildings, the wind in your hair, and the Bat on your chest."

Kate's eyes widened, realisation hitting her like a sack of bricks to the skull as she at last connected the dots, knowing who she was really talking to. "..._Batgirl?_"

Barbara turned back to face her, slipping her glasses off. "I'd say 'The one and only', but that's not exactly accurate."

Batwoman just stared, dumbstruck, before the next obvious question popped up in her mind. "How-"

"Joker," Babs answered. "Though, as I'm CERTAIN he would find funny, it wasn't because I was Batgirl. He didn't even know, and I'd already decided to hang up my cape for a while and go to college before that. No, it was just because I was the Commissioner's daughter, and he wanted to send a message, so he shot me in my spine and paralysed me from the waist down. And now, I can never go back to it."

Katherine looked down at the floor, unsure of what to say, before Barbara went on. "But, after about a year, I realised something: Even if I could never go out into the field again, even if I never got to be Batgirl again, and even if there would be a LOT of days where I'd miss Batgirl like crazy, there were still things I could do to help those who could. All I needed to decide was whether or not I was committed enough to the ideals of justice to do it."

Kate looked up, seeing the light against the Batarang stuck into the wall casting a bat-shaped shadow as Barbara continued. "You still have things you bring to the table: Your deductive reasoning, your military training, your knack for building gadgets, and your adaptive skills in the field. The question you need to decide for yourself, right here and now, is if you are committed enough to doing justice and carrying the banner of the Bat to use them. Ask yourself, right now, do you really want to be Batwoman?"

Katherine stood up, her eyes fixed on the shadow on the wall. After what felt like an hour of staring at it, she picked up her cowl, holding it in her hands. She then traced her fingers across the red Bat emblem on her chest, feeling the edges against the tips. She then turned to face Barbara, as yet another realisation hit her just then.

"There's one other thing I want to be, besides just being Batwoman," Katherine answered.

"What's that?" Babs asked as Kate put her cowl back on.

"Your legs," Batwoman answered. "You bring what you can to the field, and I'll do everything I can to put it to effect IN the field."

Oracle grinned, putting her glasses back on. "Well then, let's get to work."

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_ So, first and foremost, about Killing Joke. Basically, the part about Joker shooting Barbara is kept intact, but the part about stripping her naked, taking photos of her, and sending Gordon on the Tunnel of Love with photos all throughout didn't happen in this continuity. Why? Well, really just to avoid one issue I have with The Killing Joke: It's kinda hinted that Joker _**may** _have done more to assault Barbara then just what is explicitly stated and/or shown, if you get my meaning. Now, I don't know that for a fact, but just the idea of it is just icky as all hell. Plus, while The Joker in my continuity is sick and twisted, I'm kinda leaning less toward the comics and more towards Batman: The Animated Series, where he would kill, maim, and torture, but the lengths he'll go to aren't quite as far as he's gone in the comics. Not to mention, once he's done certain acts, it becomes hard to do Joker stories that aren't huge, over-the-top deals. In other words, when he's murdered Jason Todd, crippled and violated Barbara Gordon, had his face cut off, and then orchestrates a grand mental torture session for the entire Bat Family, it becomes hard to write him in stories where he's just robbing banks or spreading Joker Fish. **JUST SAYING.**

Anyway, sorry if the past two chapters seemed like skippable filler, but there was just a lot I wanted to explain about Babs and Kate, as well as developing their characters and seeing how they connect to each other. There are other elements to them and the others that I haven't covered yet, mind you, but this felt like a good mini-story to tell these ones in. In fact, if you've been paying attention, there's something I'm eventually warming up to revealing about Raven that is actually different from...Well, I'm pretty sure every version of her to exist within the comics and TV shows. Although I do believe there are other fanfics that have this. lol

But yeah, check back in next time as the group investigates the city, looking for clues about the source of their woes, and a certain well-known superheroine might just decide to pop in and say hi. ;) Ja né!


	7. S'etak Etad

**_DISCLAIMER:_**** Black Canary was created by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino. Huntress (Helena Bertinelli) was created by Joey Cavalieri and Joe Staton. Batwoman (Katherine 'Kate' Kane) was created by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid, and Ken Lashley. Raven was created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez. Oracle was created by Gardner Fox and ****Carmine Infantino.** I do not own any of the main characters involved in this story. This story exists in my own fan-made continuity and should not be considered to be part of any already defined by the comics, television series, or movies, though it takes cues from other established continuities created for Birds of Prey, Justice League Dark, and Teen Titans.

* * *

"Absolutely not," Batwoman said outright, not even looking away from her computer to face Dinah.

"Oh, c'mon," Di insisted. "This is really important."

"I don't see how going clubbing is 'really important' to our team," Batwoman replied.

Black Canary frowned. She'd managed to convince Rachel, Helena, and even Barbara that getting together and having some fun for one night would be a great idea. Naturally, though, in a group such as this, there's always one who stubbornly refuses to do anything fun. Canary rolled her eyes, concluding in her head that she should have known it'd be the Bat in the team.

"First of all, it's one club," Dinah explained. "Second, girls-night-out is necessary for a team to feel more comfortable around each other. And sad to say it, we could use some of that."

Batwoman finally turned to face Black Canary, clearly confused by that statement as Di went on. "Well, Hel still hesitates to call for back-up, you act all mysterious and won't even tell us your real name, Babs barely ever goes anywhere that she can't use a computer, and Rach is still closing herself off from us."

The Dark Knightess sighed. "Alright, I get what you mean, I guess, but there's still the issue of my secret identity."

Dinah folded her arms. "Look, your personal life outside of being Batwoman and a member of this team is yours. If you want us to stay out of it, that's fine. Thing is, most of us costumed crime-fighters keep secret identities to protect ourselves from possible ramification for our actions, and the people around us in case our enemies ever decided to get to us through them."

"Your point?" Batwoman inquired, eyes narrowed.

"If you won't tell your team-mates your secret identity, what other possible message are they supposed to take from that other than that you don't trust us with it?" Black Canary countered before turning to head back to the elevator. "Which, for the record? Also not good for helping a team to feel more comfortable around each other...Just think about it, okay?"

Batwoman didn't say anything in reply, letting Dinah leave in silence. She looked back to the little post-it note that Barbara had left her, letting her know the time and place for this little girls-night-out. With a groan, she leaned back in her seat, looking up at the ceiling, cursing herself for what she knew she was going to wind up doing tonight.

"I'm going to need to make some calls," she decided, removing her cowl and wig.

* * *

Dinah looked at her watch, standing out in front of the Club El Supremo. 8:02 PM. And knowing Batwoman and how precise she liked to be with everything, if she was coming, she would have been here by now. She looked to her friends, all dressed to go clubbing, and rather stunningly, actually. However, much to their shared humiliation, they had all subconsciously dressed in clothes of the same colours designated to them by Oracle for their distress beacons, with Dinah in yellow, Helena in purple, Rachel in blue, and Barbara in green.

"Seriously, what are we, the freaking Power Rangers with this?" Hel joked in a hushed tone.

"Yeah, well, it looks like Red Ranger is still hanging out at the Command Centre," Dinah noted with a sigh. "C'mon, let's just do this, try to have fun, and hopefully, there won't be any-"

"Surprises?" Babs cut in, pointing to a limo that pulled up. Within moments, a small horde of the paparazzi made themselves present, taking snapshots as the door opened, revealing Katherine Kane, billionaire bachelorette, wearing an absolutely gorgeous red dress to match her hair, and accompanied by not one but two supermodels from a recent Miss Universe pageant. At first, the group looked confused as to a well-known Gotham socialite's presence, until Dinah finally added 2 + 2 in her head, her jaw dropping.

"...No way," she muttered. "Miss I-Can't-Crack-A-Smile-To-Save-My-Life is a freaking BILLIONAIRE?"

"Well, this proves my gaydar doesn't work worth a damn, because it never budged ONCE around her," Helena added, her face looking very much like Dinah's.

"Oh ho, if only you knew some of the secret identities I know," Barbara reminded, wheeling herself up the small ramp leading into the club as her friends followed.

"Aw man, her trust fund really _**IS** _way bigger than mine," Helena said, sounding slightly deflated. "I could shoot something...Hey, Rach? Do you think if I shot one of your brothers, they'd live?"

"Yes, but I don't think you would," Rachel replied as the four entered the club. Inside, the standard dance beat heard in just about every club could be heard thumping against the walls. Paying their way in, the group found a VERY lively crowd inside, some at the bar while others danced as if they wanted to drastically expand the size of their families. The quartet made their way to a table, ordering some light drinks to start off the night.

"Pretty awesome club," Rachel declared. "Although I suppose my experience is limited. Not many dance clubs where I come from."

Dinah shook her head as Katherine made her way into the club. "I STILL cannot believe this. Who would've guessed someone like her was Batwoman? She's always seen enjoying the night life, but as Batwoman, she's always so-"

"She's faking it," Helena cut her off between sips of her tequila.

Babs tilted her head. "How can you tell?"

"My parents were killed in front of my eyes as a kid," Hel pointed out as Katherine made her way to the dance floor with her supermodel 'friends'. "Growing up, I had to learn to fake happy and having fun. I never noticed before, until I got close, but...Yeah, she's definitely got that same look. Hell, she's clearly mastered it."

Rachel nodded. "She's right. I have some empathic abilities, and she clearly isn't having as much fun as she would like people to think."

Dinah just stared at Kate as the two talked. The way she danced with the two models, the way she flirted with them, the small pecks they would sneak here and there, it looked so genuine. And yet, now that she was actually looking, there was something in her eyes. Something that told her that, in her head, she wasn't really there. In her mind, she was elsewhere, doing other things. Whether it was thinking about different upgrades to The Attic's security, or developing new gadgets for the team to use, whatever it was she was thinking about, it wasn't the two beauties she was dancing with.

* * *

Kate sighed as she entered the ladies room, having excused herself after what felt like an hour on the dance floor with her 'companions'. As she was rinsing her hands off, she looked to the corner. Just as she suspected would be the case, there was Dinah, looking her over. But it wasn't so much amazement that was on her face, but rather, her eyes reflected regret and sympathy.

"One question," Di asked. "Why?"

Katherine looked to her, her face having dropped the pretence of enjoying herself that she'd had while out on the dance floor. "When I was 12 years old, my mother was murdered by gunmen. When I grew up and joined the military academy, trying to follow in the footsteps of my parents, I got tossed out for having an affair with my room-mate and refusing to lie about it, even though that would've violated their own code and I was at the top of my class. And then I moved back to Gotham, and EVERYWHERE you look in Gotham, you'll find crime and corruption. I got sick of it all."

Dinah gently put a hand on Kate's shoulder. "Look, I meant what I said before. If you don't want us butting into your personal life, that's fine. Just, please don't do the whole lone wolf crap. I get enough of that from Hel."

Kate thought about it for a moment before smirking a little. "...I suppose she doesn't exactly make it look all that glamorous."

"Good," Di said with a smile. "And for the record, I was actually going to ask why the wig."

Katherine shrugged. "Helps to keep my identity safe?"

"Yeah, and gives bad guys something new to yank on," Dinah noted.

"Actually, if the wig is forcibly removed without removing the cowl, it sends a minor shock to whoever was dumb enough to try it," Kate corrected.

Dinah just stared. "...Huh. Maybe **I** should try that sometime."

* * *

Returning to the table, Dinah looked on at Helena and Barbara, who were watching the dance floor in bemusement. Noticing the one missing, she too looked where they were, immediately spotting her: Rachel, dancing somewhat awkwardly with a Goth boy. The sight was simultaneously adorable, befuddling, and a bit clunky to watch.

"I believe they call that the dance of the brave little toaster," Babs observed, getting a confused look from Hel. "...It's a line from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Dinah and me used to watch a lot of Buffy in college."

At that point, the smile on Helena's face threatened to tear it in half, Dinah rolling her eyes and taking a sip of her tequila. "Oh, PLEASE tell me there are pictures of you two cosplaying as Buffy and Willow!"

"I actually still have the costumes," Barbara mentioned, causing Dinah to do a spit-take.

"I thought you said you burned the evidence!" Dinah yelled, Helena laughing so hard she looked like she could start peeing herself.

"Rule #1: The Doctor lies," Babs reminded before turning to Hel. "The OTHER show we watched a ton of."

Meanwhile, Katherine returned to the dance floor. It didn't take long to track down her brunette date, but for some odd reason, the blonde strangely was missing. She did a quick glance around before turning to the brunette in the long black dress. She was smiling innocently, to which Kate played along with, though mentally aware that something was very up.

"Where's your friend?" she asked.

"Off getting a drink," the brunette replied with a smirk as a slow song started. "Now, where were we?"

Katherine smiled, taking the model by the hand. "So, managed to get me all to yourself for this one."

The brunette model leaned in close. "Well, multi-person slow dances can be tricky. Too many feet."

"How thoughtful," Kate responded, her eyes scanning the crowd.

"You can stop looking, you won't find her," Kate's date whispered as she pretended to start necking with the bachelorette. "In fact, she was never here."

Katherine's eyes narrowed a little, but kept her game face on. "Is that right?"

"Sorry for the subterfuge, but it's hard to get in touch with you," the brunette went on. "What with you hiding in that little shack of yours with your friends."

"You're well-informed," Kate commented, giving her date a small spin. "So, going to tell me who you really are and what you want?"

The brunette giggled a little. "I WAS going to wait until after this dance, but I don't think we have time. I'm here to investigate some strange mystical phenomenons throughout the city, and I thought your team might be able to lend a hand."

"So, you're a friendly?" Katherine inquired.

"You're gonna find out just how friendly in a bit," the brunette said, suddenly looking a little pale.

Kate looked her in the eye. "And why is that?"

"Because one of those phenomenons is about to occur right here in about five seconds," Kate's date answered. "You might wanna duck."

Eyes widening, Kate grabbed the obviously not model and ducked down. As soon as she did, the air above them was ripped open, a swirling vortex appearing. The entire crowd began to run and scream, the two women doing so as well as to keep their cover. They ran to others, pretending to be fleeing out of the club, but instead ducking under a stairwell. Likewise, Raven had already done the same, having led her dancing partner out to safety and then changed into her costume.

"Some relaxing girls-night-out!" Helena yelled. "Did anyone besides Rach think to bring their costumes?"

"Got it covered," the brunette replied. "Egnahc sehtolc otni ruo semutsoc!"

Before anyone could question her, Dinah, Helena, and Kate found themselves surrounded by swirling magical energies. Within moments, their clothes had been switched out for their costumes, becoming Black Canary, Huntress, and Batwoman. Meanwhile, the brunette's clothes had also changed, replaced with a black and white stage magician costume, complete with fishnet stockings, a top hat, and a small wand.

"Zatanna," Batwoman observed.

"Man, I totally should've known," Black Canary stated. "Us stocking girls usually stick together."

"Uhh, girls?" Babs cut in, pointing back to the dance floor as a pair of black bears with four red eyes stomped out of the vortex. They were followed by a tall, unshaven young man with long blue hair and wearing a leather biker's jacket. He also had four red eyes, which he used to glance around at what people hadn't left, all backing into the corners of the room in a panic.

"Jack," Raven muttered.

"One of your brothers?" Dinah asked, getting a nod. "Wonderful. Because the last one was SO much fun."

"So that's what's been causing the phenomena," Zatanna guessed. "The Sons of Trigon passing through to this world."

"Well I'm not waiting to see what he's gonna pull!" Huntress yelled, leaping out from under the stairs. "C'mere, ugly!"

Despite the cries of her team-mates, the violet archer leaped up, crossbow in hand, and opened fire on Jack and his furry companions. With startling speed, the bears dodged, while Jack merely yawned and held up a hand, deflecting the arrows with magic bolts before grabbing Huntress by the wrist. She cried out as he threw her to the ground, then groaned as she felt waves of energy run through her body. Suddenly, Helena's body began to feel heavier, tightening against her costume slightly, and her hair was becoming a bit frizzled and long.

"Dammit, Hel...!" Canary cursed, rushing out with the others to help their friend. One of the grizzly bears tackled Batwoman, knocking her into a table, but she quickly dug out a can of mace from her belt, shooting it directly into its face. It backed off, just in time to receive a kick to the side of the face from Black Canary. Meanwhile, the other was swiping its claws at Raven, who was barely holding the bear back with a black force field.

"Ekam eseht sdrac evisolpxe!" Zatanna yelled, drawing a handful of cards from her pocket. She threw them at the bear, causing them to explode in its face, effectively knocking it out. Once this was done, Raven was able to focus on the remaining one, grabbing it telekinetically as it leaped at Canary and sending it crashing through a table.

Jack watched all of this, scowling as his beasts were defeated. His upper eyes glowed as he prepared a blast from them. However, having taken his eye off of Huntress, she had managed even in her increasingly weaker state to fire an arrow across the side of his face, causing him to miss with his blast as he recoiled in pain. Hel immediately backed off, feeling her body return to normal as the others gathered around her.

"The hell was that?" she demanded.

"Jack is the representative of Sloth," Raven explained. "One touch, and your body will change to reflect yourself if you were lazier. Extended exposure could make your body completely rot away into NOTHING."

Huntress' eyes widened in horror. "Right. Got it. Won't be trying that again."

"**Grrr, little bitch...**" Jack growled, clutching the side of his face. "**You scarred my face!**"

The five heroines just managed to leap out of the way as Jack opened fire with eldritch blasts from his upper eyes. Huntress flipped across the floor, firing arrows as rapidly as she could to keep him distracted. Black Canary looked to Raven, motioning to the civilians. Rachel nodded, getting the idea, and held out her arms, her eyes glowing white.

"_Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!_" she cried, letting loose her black raven familiar to gather her and the civilians, transporting them out of the club.

"Etativel eht sriahc!" Zatanna cried, waving her wand. At this command, the chairs around the club levitated, sailing at Jack. The tall Son of Trigon blasted most of them apart, but was nonetheless hit hard with several remaining ones. Black Canary immediately let loose a Canary Cry right in his face, causing him to get knocked back several feet, almost back into the slowly closing vortex he emerged from, but he slammed his fists down, digging into the floorboards.

"**You won't be rid of me that easily!**" Jack yelled triumphantly, just before a claw-like device latched onto his foot. "**...What's _THIS?_**"

Batwoman grinned from behind him as a line fired off from the claw into the vortex. "The thing that gets rid of you."

Jack cried out as the line suddenly hauled on him. Combined with the Canary Cry, he couldn't hold his ground, being pulled into the vortex. Raven then returned to the room, levitating both knocked out grizzlies and tossing them into the vortex as well. It closed a few seconds afterwards, leaving the five heroines and Barbara alone in the badly damaged club, a rather expensive sign falling off the wall just for good measure.

"Think he'll be coming back?" Babs asked as she wheeled herself out to meet her friends.

"Not any time soon," Raven answered. "Father's not going to be thrilled that he got beaten so easily."

"Well, at least we saved the club," Huntress said, just before the bar literally fell apart from damage sustained in the battle. "...Sort of."

"So much for girls-night-out," Dinah sighed, looking down in dismay. "Just ended up as another fight. No fun for the superheroines."

Suddenly, Canary felt a hand on her shoulder, looking ahead to see the Dark Knightess. "Maybe, maybe not."

* * *

About an hour later, the heroines and Barbara had changed back to their dresses and relocated to Katherine Kane's OTHER home away from home: A penthouse apartment in the single most expensive district in Platinum Flats. The other five women looked around in awe of the wide, gorgeous-looking living room, and despite herself, Kate couldn't help but feel a little pride at the others admiring her place and her things.

"Okay, DEFINITELY better than my pad!" Dinah commented.

"Note to self: Buy penthouse apartment," Helena added. "Why didn't I think of that when I came here?"

"Could you even afford a place like this?" Rachel asked.

Hel scoffed. "My family was one of the wealthiest Mafia families Gotham ever knew. You can't even comprehend the kind of dollari I have."

"Bet'cha Katie's got more," Babs muttered under her breath to Dinah, getting a giggle.

Katherine looked to Zatanna. "So, think we could have a mini-party here?"

Zatanna nodded with a grin. "S'tel ytrap!"

With this command, the nearby stereo turned on, playing dance music. The chandelier transformed into a spinning disco ball. The more expensive possessions of Katherine's were teleported aside, making room for a table with Martinis, nachos, and dip. The ladies hooped and hollered in delight, picking up on their fun from where they'd left off.

"So, Zatanna," Di asked as they paired off, Rachel dancing with Babs. "Any chance I could convince you to join our little group?"

"Well, I DO need to report in to Doctor Fate about what happened," Zatanna replied. "Then he's probably got some other job for me to do. But hey, I'll lend you my number, if you ever need some extra help."

Kate smiled a little at the antics of her team-mates. She turned away, looking to take a seat in the corner. However, she soon found her wrist grabbed by Helena, who pulled her out onto the floor to dance.

"No way you get off THAT easy, Miss Kane," Hel exclaimed with a smirk. "You showed me up on my money, so you owe me this much."

Katherine smirked right back at Helena. "It's not my fault I'm from a FAR wealthier family, Bertinelli."

"Oh, the woes of a billionaire," Helena joked, letting Katherine spin her, "who I'm going to assume set up a jamming signal to screw with my gaydar. What's the deal, trying to hide your affections for your team-mates?"

Kate laughed, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, that's right, Hel. Because you're SO sexy. Just last night, I woke up sobbing, 'I will never be happy until I get into Huntress' pants'!"

Helena just stuck her tongue out at the Dark Knightess. Though, since they both had mastered the art of hiding what they were really thinking, Kate knew full well that Helena had already succeeded at her goal, and couldn't help but smile as she realised what it was: To get her to laugh. Not a fake one, like she used a few times at the club, but a genuinely amused and happy laugh.

_Well played, Bertinelli,_ Katherine thought before spinning the girl again.

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_ So, first off, sorry it's been so long since I last updated this story. Long story short, first I was writing for NaNoWriMo, then I wasn't. If you wanna read what I was writing for National Novel Writing Month, check my profile for Infinite DC - Wonder Woman. Speaking of which, yes, Diana was GOING to be the one in this chapter, but that's because I wanted this to be her introduction to the Infinite DC fanfic universe. Since she doesn't really need that anymore, Zatanna was the next obvious choice, who is A) Up for vote into the Infinite DC verse's Justice League on my blog, Jyger's Rant, and B) A pain in the neck for my spell-checker with her backwards magic. lol

Speaking of this chapter, this was originally gonna be two smaller chapters, but I figured "Hey, it's been a little over two weeks, let's give 'em one big one". And no, Zatanna isn't gay in this, she was just getting info from Kate. I HAVE, however, been juggling the idea of Batwoman/Huntress. Not sure, still thinking it over. Lemme know what you think of that.

The only other thing that I wanna bring up is that Barbara Gordon is now in the disclaimer at the beginning of this and every future chapter of the fic, as she is now a regular in the cast. If anyone else joins full-time, the same will happen for them. Zatanna is not a regular, although she may pop up every now and again, so I will just state here that **Zatanna was created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson**.

Anyhow, check in next time as we see the team gel together more, and we learn a bit more about Raven and her own issues. Ja né!


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